


Shades of Purple

by SilvermistNightray



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Band Fic, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Half-Filipino Lance (Voltron), Half-Japanese Keith (Voltron), Hawaiian Hunk (Voltron), M/M, Petty Jealousy, Silly antics, Swearing, Youtuber AU, everyone is a youtuber, others do make-up tutorials and VLogs, petty competition, some do covers and original songs, that about sums it up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2017-11-01
Packaged: 2018-07-28 15:59:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7647454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilvermistNightray/pseuds/SilvermistNightray
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I got you scheduled for a collab next week." Pidge explained slowly, mimicking Lance's pose. "It's for that duet you've always wanted to do."</p><p>"Pidge, as much as I appreciate you working so hard for this," Lance resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "but how is that going to help?"</p><p>"It's not just <i>any</i> collab, Lance." Pidge's haughty look turned smug. "It's a collab with Keith."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Somewhere To Begin

_"Alright guys, that was my take on the song 'Somewhere Only We Know' by Keane. I know it's sort of old, but it's always been a favorite of mine, so I thought I'd do a cover for it. Big thanks to my man Hunk for the drums, and to Pidge here for the piano. Go and check out their channels guys, I'll be putting up their links down in the description. If you guys want to see more of me, which I'm sure you do--"_

_"Ugh, Lance."_

_"Alright, alright. If you guys want to see more of me, go ahead and click that little subscribe button right there. And if you liked this cover, it's up on iTunes now and the link is in the description. See you guys next time!"_

* * *

* * *

"I can't believe you tried to flirt with your subscribers _again_." Pidge Holt, their resident video technician and occasional pianist, groaned. They occupied one of the two overstuffed armchairs in the two-bedroom apartment, socked feet crossed under them and laptop balanced on their thighs. It was open to their recently uploaded video from a week ago, paused right at the moment when the mocha-skinned Youtuber winked at the screen. "Really, Lance? Really?"

"Hey, it's not like they're complaining." Lance McClain grumbled from his position sprawled on the couch, bare feet dangling over the arm rests, fingers absent-mindedly plucking the bass guitar on his chest. "Almost a million subscribers and not a single one of them is complaining. You gotta relax, Pidge. I've got this."

"Apparently Keith's got it better than you." Hunk Garrett appeared from their shared kitchen, his phone in one hand and a bottle of water on the other. "You two covered the same song."

"He _what?!_ " Lance bolted upright, almost knocking the bass onto the floor.

"He just uploaded his version of 'Somewhere Only We Know' on his channel." Hunk took the other overstuffed chair across from Pidge, settling his bottle of water down on the coffee table between them. "Looks like a lot of your fans are arguing on who did it better. Keith's winning."

" _He's what?!_ " Lance shoved the bass away, snatching the phone from the other's unsuspecting hand. Pidge rolled their eyes as Lance ignored the video in favor of the comment section, his eyes narrowing at the thread Hunk had pointed out. Pidge had barely typed in the other Youtuber's channel address when Lance burst into a rant.

"I can't _believe_ they think his is better!" Lance scoffed, waving the phone in the air. "They're all like _'Oh Keith's take on it is more emotional'_ and _'Keith's voice suits this song more_ '. What the hell? That guy doesn't even show his face in any of his videos! All we see are his hands and that stupid fucking jaw of his! How do they know he's showing any emotions, let alone be sure he's the one who's actually singing this crap?!"

"Can I please have my phone back, Lance?" Hunk interrupted, gently prying the other boy's fingers from his phone. "What's your deal with Keith, anyway? It's not like his fans are bashing you or anything."

"Oh, he's just _jealous_." Pidge cooed, finding the right video and clicking play. The music flowed through the laptop's speakers, filling the apartment with the sounds of soft strumming and Keith Kogane's humming. Lance clamped his mouth shut, walking to lean against Pidge's chair and getting a better look at their screen.

He shouldn't have expected much from the video. It was Keith's style, after all, to hide his face from all his viewers. All Lance could see from the tilted angle of the camera were his hands on the guitar and his jaw moving to the lyrics of the song.

Okay, so there was  _some_ proof that Keith was actually singing.

Lance wasn't willing to admit that yet, though.

Closing his eyes, Lance let the other Youtuber's voice wrap around him, just the way his Lola Minia taught him to do. He focused on Keith's smooth baritone voice, the way it started out slow and melancholy, almost dragging the words but not quite. He listened as the strumming picked up pace along the chorus, Keith's voice rising along with it only to fall back again. Lance had been too busy listening to the song he didn't realize his friend's gazes on him.

When the song finally ended, Keith's soft humming fading into silence, Lance opened his eyes to see Hunk and Pidge grinning knowingly.

Oh no.

"What?!" Lance crossed his arms over his chest, as if that would hide the way he had intently listened to his supposed rival's cover. "I was just trying to see what's so good about it!"

"Riiiight." Pidge drawled, pushing their glasses up their nose. "So, Lance, what _was_ good about it?"

"N-N-Nothing!" Lance spluttered. "It wasn't emotional at all! Nope, not at all! What were his crazed fangirls listening to? It surely wasn't that!"

Lance's laughter sounded fake even to his own ears.

They weren't going to let him off so easily.

He was so dead.

"Is that why you were practically melting?" Hunk teased, raising his eyebrows suggestively. "Because his voice wasn't emotional?"

"Ha, me, melting? Very funny, Hunk." Lance felt like he was digging his own grave.

"Aw Lance, how hard is it to admit he sounds good?" Pidge goaded, their grin turning evil. "It's not like you admitting he's good can change your number of views..."

"Oh shut up, Pidge!" Lance sulked, flopping back on the couch and pouting at both of them. "We've been making these videos for almost four years, and we _still_ aren't at a million subscribers. Then some guy who's face we don't even know shows up and hits a million in six months. _Six months_. I have every right to be jealous!"

"What happened to 'it's the quality, not the quantity, the matters'?" Hunk asked, looking between his two friends. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm fine with my subscribers."

"Ditto." Pidge agreed, giving Lance a wary look. "You didn't have a problem before, Lance. Why have a problem _now_?"

"It's not a problem!" Lance denied. "It's an annoyance. There's a difference."

"Is that difference Keith?"

"Hell yeah!"

Pidge raised an eyebrow.

Hunk gave him a look.

Lance turned a faint shade of red.

"It doesn't mean what you think it means!"

"Sure, anything you say, Lance."

"We got you, buddy."

"You guys!"

Lance watched helplessly as his two friends ignored him, Hunk going back to his phone and Pidge typing away on their laptop. "Come on, guys! It's not what you think!" He tried to explain, waving his arms about him. "I don't mind other artists getting more subscribers than me! Hey, they deserve it! But there's just something about this Keith guy that rubs me the wrong way!"

"Lance, you haven't even met him." Pidge heaved a sigh, not even bothering to pause in their typing. "You shouldn't judge people you haven't met."

"See, that's the thing." Lance continued, completely disregarding Pidge's warning. "I've never met Keith, but I can tell there's something going on with him. Call it sixth sense, intuition, the force, or whatever, but I can feel it."

"Is it like that time you felt your cat was trying to tell you something but it turns out you just ate bad chili?" Hunk teased. "Because if it's anything like that time then your sixth sense needs an upgrade."

"Oh yeah, funny. Ha ha ha. Laugh at my intuition." Lance said sarcastically. "But just so you know, my intuition has never failed me."

"Well then, why don't we just put it to the test?" Pidge finally looked up from their laptop, a haughty look on their bespectacled face.

"Oh yeah, and how are you gonna do that?" Lance asked, crossing his arms in challenge.

"I got you scheduled for a collab next week." Pidge explained slowly, mimicking Lance's pose. "It's for that duet you've always wanted to do."

"Pidge, as much as I appreciate you working so hard for this," Lance resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "but how is that going to help?"

"It's not just _any_ collab, Lance." Pidge's haughty look turned smug. "It's a collab with Keith."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't really been feeling okay lately. All the things I used to love to do, like writing and singing, haven't been feeling _fun_ anymore. I've been struggling for almost two weeks now just planning for this silly AU, but my good friend [Kiko](http://kikokay-k.tumblr.com/) helped bring my spirits up and kept me from dropping this. When I finally sat down and made myself write this chapter, I couldn't help but have _so much fun_. I really loved writing this, and I hope you'll love reading it.
> 
> If y'all have any questions, concerns, or rants then please feel free to hit me up on my [Tumblr](http://hetalian-schoolgirl.tumblr.com/) and I'll answer them! I have a lot of things to say about this AU, seriously. By the way, this fic updates every Friday, so please look out for that! Thank you!


	2. Something To Rely On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Angel.

_He knew his viewers couldn't see his face, that they wouldn't know how this song affected him. Nonetheless, he kept his eyes closed as he sang. "And if you have a minute why don't we go..." He could feel his voice straining, but just barely, not enough for someone to tell the difference. "Talk about it somewhere only we know?"_

_His hands moved on autopilot, having practiced the song for almost a week now, his fingers dancing on the fret board. "This could be the end of everything," his smooth voice cooed, "so why don't we go somewhere only we know?"_

_He hummed the last notes of the song, knowing that he could just edit it later, make it fade to nothing. He let the sound of the guitar wash over him, leaving him in a hazy daze of memories. When he finally stopped strumming, he let his ears adjust to the silence around him. The jarring difference between the music of his memories and the silence of his reality. Sighing, he finally opened his eyes._

* * *

* * *

"I really am sorry, Shiro, but I can't come to dinner next week." Keith Kogane sighed into his phone's receiver, leaning back on his office chair. "Something came up and I can't make it."

"This is the third time you've skipped dinner with us, Keith." The stern voice of his stepbrother, Takashi Shirogane, filtered in from the other line. "Allura's getting worried about you. Are you doing alright?"

"I'm fine, Shiro." Keith lied, pressing the heel of his palm to his forehead. "I just have something to take care of."

"Does it have something to do with your channel?" Shiro asked. "I just heard your cover of Keane's song. You sounded really good in that one. Allura and I dropped a like."

"Thanks." Keith smiled. "You didn't really have to do that."

"We both really enjoyed it, of course we'd drop a like." Shiro insisted. "Lance did a cover of the same song, too. He stuck more to the original, though. Still, it was nice."

At the mention of the other Youtuber, Keith couldn't help but groan. That name had haunted him since the first time he uploaded a cover, which unfortunately was the same song some other guy named Lance has covered. He'd gotten a ton of subscribers then, but the comment section had exploded into a debate on who did it better.

Honestly, Keith didn't care who did it better.

He didn't care about Youtube in general.

The only reason he even bothered posting videos was because of Shiro.

He knew he shouldn't have caved, should've just posted the covers on Facebook or something and kept them private. But Shiro had encouraged him, assured him that people would like his content, even showed him some of the videos on the channel he shared with Allura. He couldn't say "no" then, not when Shiro looked so hopeful.

Six months and a million subscribers later, he was starting to get annoyed.

All because of some guy named Lance.

"The comments section is gonna explode again." Keith didn't hide the annoyance in his voice, running a hand through his black hair. "I can feel a migraine coming in."

"Are you gonna be okay?" Shiro was back to sounding worried. Keith could practically hear him fretting around. "You really should come to dinner next week. We worry about you, Keith."

"I appreciate it, really." Keith sighed again. "But I can't."

"Is it something for the channel?"

"Kind of."

"Keith, you should put your own health first before your channel."

"It's okay, Shiro. Stop worrying. I'll be fine."

"Keith--"

"Look, I'm sorry, but I gotta go."

"Take care of yourself, okay?"

"I will."

"And Keith?"

"Yeah?"

"We'll miss you."

Keith choked on air.

He knew Shiro meant well, but...

"I will too." Keith managed to say, smiling bitterly. "Say 'hi' to Allura for me."

He hit 'end call' before Shiro could reply, letting the phone drop to his lap as he spun his chair around in circles. He could ignore the pain and loneliness inside him all he wants, but he couldn't deny the fact that they were there. He was well aware that he had nothing to do next week. If he was being honest, the only thing keeping him from having dinner with his stepbrother and his girlfriend was his stubborn pride.

Well, his pride and something else...

"Why am I so difficult?!" Keith groaned at the empty apartment, letting his head fall to his desk. All of a sudden his phone began buzzing between his legs, sending him scrambling to grab it.

"What could be so important that you buzzed?" He grumbled at the phone, glaring at the Youtube notification icon on the screen. Swiping right, he tapped at the offending icon, expecting yet another comment on how his version was "better than the original" or "the best cover so far".

He didn't expect the message that flashed across his screen, nor the username of the person who sent it.

Keith blinked at his screen. He'd gotten messages here and there, mostly praise from his fans and encouragement from Shiro, but he had never gotten one that sounded like this before. He was only vaguely familiar with the user, and he wouldn't have engaged them in a conversation, but they mentioned _Lance._

It piqued his interest just enough to ask.

He didn't have to wait long for the reply.

"What?" Keith said aloud. The message was only four words long, but Keith had to read it _twice_  to convince himself he read it right. "A collaboration..." He breathed out. "I've never done a collaboration before..."

Keith wasn't sure if this Pidge person was aware of it, but their last message sounded like a passive-aggressive challenge. He actually raised his eyebrow at the screen, wondering if he was the one reading the tone wrong. But no, it definitely sounded like a passive-aggressive challenge.

Keith was never one to back down from a challenge.

* * *

Thirty minutes pass midnight and Keith found himself staring up at his ceiling, running through all the information Pidge had given him earlier. They lived surprisingly close to Keith's apartment, just a twenty-minute bus ride up to the busier northern half of the city. Keith had thought they lived in another state, considering he hadn't run into any of them while he was out. While he didn't really go out much, but it was a small city, so he could've at least met them once.

None of that mattered now, though. He was sure to meet them next week, along with their two other 'friends', on the Saturday of his monthly dinner with Shiro. Which meant he finally had a legitimate excuse to miss it, and didn't feel as guilty as he did earlier. Shiro would see a new video put up and he'd assume Keith spent the weekend working on it. It was a win-win situation.

The only downside was meeting Lance, who had apparently proclaimed himself as Keith's rival.

Keith had never watched any of the other Youtuber's videos, so he wasn't exactly sure what Lance's rivalry was based on. In his case it stemmed from his viewer's constant arguing over the comment section, maybe the other Youtuber had the same problem.

One thing's for sure, he was going to meet the other Youtuber next Saturday, and there was nothing stopping him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Edit:** The images _did_ end up a little iffy. I'm fixing them up a bit, so please tell me if you can see them. If you still can't, I'll change the formatting a bit and try again. Thank you so much for your patience.
> 
> If y'all have any comments, suggestions, or rants then please feel free to hit me up here or on Tumblr. I really do enjoy talking about this AU, and I appreciate it if you wanna talk about it too! Once again, this fic updates every Friday, and happy reading.


	3. Different And The Same

_"What?!" Lance almost screamed, his expression that of pure unadulterated shock. "When did you set it up? How did you get him to agree? Why him, of all people? Are you kidding, Pidge?!"_

_"Unfortunately for you, I'm dead serious." Pidge replied, pulling up their laptop for Lance to see the screen. "See, I just finished sending him an email of the details. He seemed very interested about it, and it's not like doing a collab with him would hurt you."_

_"Keith? Hurt me? Yeah, right!" Lance laughed, flopping back down on the couch. "Wait up, did you say he was interested?"_

_Pidge rolled their eyes. "Oh, yeah Lance." Their tone oozed sarcasm. "He was very interested."_

_"Well, that changes everything!" Lance grinned. "Since he's so interested, then let's do the collab!"_

_"Oh, this is gonna be fun." Hunk shared a look with Pidge, both trying to keep from laughing. "So, when is it?"_

_"Next Saturday at my place." Pidge replied, tapping away on their keyboard. "Oh yeah, and Lance?"_

_"Hmm?"_

_"You're picking Keith up."_

* * *

Keith stared out of the window of the bus, his guitar case balanced between his legs. He watched the buildings pass by in an unrecognizable blur, his fingers tapping out the tune of the song they were going to work on. He'd gotten the lyrics and chords memorized already, but there was no harm in humming to himself.

Besides, it helped distract him from his nerves.

The bus pulled up in front of a quaint little coffee shop, with blooming flowers spilling out of the windowsills and vines hanging over the striped awnings. It stood out from the nondescript brick buildings that bordered it, and Keith briefly wondered if Pidge had picked this place specifically because it was hard to miss.

Stepping off the bus, Keith was greeted by a voice he had grown familiar with after twenty or so replays.

"I'm at the cafe and he's not here!" Lance grumbled into his phone, impatiently tapping his fingers on the cafe table. "Why am I the one picking him up, anyway?"

"Because the last time you tried to help out at the studio you caused an hour-long power outage." Pidge's annoyed voice came from the other line. "I am not having a repeat of that. Ever."

"That was _one_ time!" Lance argued. "You talked to him, you should've asked what he looked like! I don't know who I'm looking for!"

"Uhm, you're looking for Keith?"

"Not funny, Pidge."

"I don't think it's that hard to find a guy with a guitar."

"Dude, this place is close to the university campus. There are tons of guys with guitars out here."

"Then why don't you 'trust your intuition'?"

"My intuition doesn't work that way."

"Oh my god, Lance--"

"I think you're looking for me."

Lance looked at the young man standing right in front of him, a red guitar case slung over his shoulder and a questioning eyebrow raised in his direction. Lance couldn't help but notice the way the guy's black shirt snugly fit his lean frame or the way his matching black jeans accentuated his hips, and he surely didn't miss the intensity of the guy's violet gaze as they locked eyes.

Lance swallowed.

"K-Keith?"

Keith sighed.

"Lance."

On the other side of town, Pidge grinned.

"It looks like you've found him."

"Uh. Yeah."

"Attractive, isn't he?"

Lance blushed.

"U-Uh. Y-Yeah."

"Good luck, Lance."

The call disconnected.

Lance sat there, phone beeping, staring up at the guy he'd declared as his rival.

Keith stared back at him, unmoving, wondering if it was too late to back out.

* * *

Lance's initial shock at meeting Keith for the first time -- and the realization that the other boy was _very_ attractive --started wearing off as they walked to his car. He didn't even give time for Lance to properly introduce himself, just muttered a quick "Let's go" before pulling his phone out of his pocket and silencing Lance with a pair of red earbuds.

"Well, it was great to meet you too, buddy." Lance mumbled angrily to himself as he led Keith through the bustling crowd. "Did you have a hard time finding this place? You could have told Pidge to give me your number, I'm the one picking you up after all. Not like you're hard to miss, Mr. Edgy McEdgelord. Who the fuck wears all black in the middle of Summer?!"

Lance gritted his teeth as he came to a stop in front of his car, not missing the way Keith had nonchalantly walked pass him before looking up and realizing Lance wasn't in front of him anymore. Lance tried to contain his laughter as Keith looked back, his eyes narrowing imperceptibly when he spotted Lance.

"Hey." Lance's grin was smug when Keith walked back to him. "You know some people walk with their eyes forward, not down."

Keith's eyebrow twitched as he took off his earbuds. "I'll keep that in mind." He said through clenched teeth, looking past Lance at his car. "Please tell me we're not riding in _that_."

"Hey! I'll have you know that Blue is more reliable than any hunk of junk out there on the road!" Lance exclaimed rather loudly, patting the old 1983 Chevrolet Trailblazer*. "Don't worry, girl, he didn't mean anything."

"You call your car Blue." Keith deadpanned. "It's a car."

"Blue isn't just a car, and _'she'_ is not an 'it'." Lance sounded indignant, opening the passenger seat for Keith. "Blue is my girl."

"You must not get girls often." Keith murmured under his breath, barely loud enough for Lance to hear. Lance opened his mouth to retort, but Keith had already slung his guitar case into the car's -- _Blue's_ \-- back and climbed up into the passenger seat. "Hurry up and get in already."

Lance let go of the passenger door as Keith pulled it close, taking his earbuds out again and plugging them in. "Thanks for holding the door open for me, Lance!" Lance muttered bitterly, fake smile on his face as he rounded the car to the driver's seat. "And thanks for picking me up, despite not knowing what I looked like and all that! Really appreciate it, dude."

Once settled in the driver's seat, he turned over to Keith and tapped his knee. The brunet looked up at him, a confused expression on his face even as Lance mouthed "seatbelts". Lance shook his head, opting to point to put his own seatbelt on hoping Keith would get the idea. His tactic appeared to work, and with Keith safely buckled he eased his car out of its parking spot and unto the road.

This was going to be a long, long car ride.

* * *

Keith had turned down the volume of his phone when Lance started the car. The guy seemed pretty serious about seatbelts, if the patronizing look he gave Keith when he couldn't hear him was anything to go by. At least now with his volume turned down he could hear Lance, in case he had any other instructions.

Barely five minutes into the ride and Keith could hear Lance murmuring. Not wanting to take his earbuds off, he discreetly lowered his volume even more, until he could make out what the other boy was mumbling about.

Lance was complaining.

Loudly.

About him.

"You know you could at least say something." Lance began, his hands steady on the wheel despite his animated shoulders. "Literally anything. Wanna talk about the weather? Clear skies, wonderful sunshine, perfect beach weather. Wanna talk about sports? Heard the Garrison finally has a chance of getting into Nationals this year, but I highly doubt it. Wanna talk music? The Chainsmokers released a new song last Friday. 'Closer'. Have you heard it? Of course y--"

"I've heard it." Keith interrupted, leaning out the open window, watching the scenery change from the tall buildings of downtown to the row houses of the suburbs. "I'm not much of a fan of the techno beat, but the lyrics are good."

There was a five second pause before Lance practically screamed " _You were listening to me?!"_.

Keith rolled his eyes. "Since we left town, yeah."

"So, what, you listened while I talked to myself?" Lance gasped. "You were listening to me talking to myself!"

Keith fought the urge to smile. "It was very interesting, to say the least."

"Screw you, man! I can't believe you didn't even stop me!" Lance whined, maneuvering through empty streets lined with perfectly manicured lawns. "And did you just describe 'Closer' as _techno_? Really?!"

Keith finally turned to him, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "I thought that _was_ techno."

"Oh my god." Lance groaned, pulling up in front of a simple two-story with a green mailbox. "I can't believe you've got more subscribers than me."

"Wait. Is _that_ why you made me your rival?" Keith asked.

Lance visibly stiffened.

He was so achingly transparent.

"Subscribers..." Now it was Keith's turn to be condescending. "Really?"

"Pidge is dead to me." Lance unbuckled his seatbelt, right as two figures appeared from the house. "You're dead to me, Pidge!"

The smaller figure with a head of brown hair stopped just a few steps short of the car, crossing their arms over their chest and smirking. "You wound me, Lance." Pidge rolled their eyes. "And here I thought we were the best of friends."

Keith followed suit and stepped out of the car. "Hey, you must be Pidge." Keith walked over to the two, extending his hand. "Keith."

"Ah yes, Keith." Pidge drawled, taking Keith's hand while they kept their eyes on Lance. "Lance's self-proclaimed rival."

"Pidge..." Lance gritted his teeth.

"It's really nice to meet you." Pidge continued, finally looking at Keith as they shook his hand. "I didn't know you'd be so attra--"

"Alright, that's enough, you're introduced!" Lance interrupted, pulling at Pidge's shoulder. "This is Pidge Holt, my sound technician--"

"And occasional pianist." Pidge cut in proudly, shrugging off Lance's arm.

"Sometimes producer, too." The taller figure spoke up. Keith had almost forgotten he was there, which was a feat considering his size and the fact that he stood next to Pidge, of all people. "Hi there, I'm Hunk!" He introduced with a smile, hand already extended. "Very glad to meet you. Listened to all your covers. Acoustic really does have its own charm, you know."

"Keith." Keith shook the warm hand firmly. "And thanks for listening to my covers. I really appreciate it."

Out of Keith's line of sight Pidge looked up at Lance, pushing their glasses up their nose. Lance rolled his eyes, elbowing them. "Can we get moving?" Lance announced, making his way up the steps to the Holt household. "Grab your guitar, we've got songs to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1983 Chevrolet Trailblazer* - I got the suggestion for Lance's car from my own brother, who's really into cars. There's a reason why we both chose this car, but we can't explain it yet.
> 
> Remember when I said I was gonna update this? Well, things got sort of... Bad... I won't go into detail, but it was pretty tough for the first few months, and there wasn't anything I could do but wait it out... Then things started getting better halfway through, with all sorts of things happening in my life... And I just wanted to take advantage of the temporary high to write out an acceptable continuation to a fanfic that means so much to me... Thank you very much for your patience.


	4. Here And Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After several months of actual suffering, I finally finished the Collab. I'm honestly very disappointed in myself that it took me this long, but things weren't really going well for me. Big thank you for everyone who stuck around, and will continue to stick around! Special thanks to [Kiko](http://archiveofourown.org/users/kikokay_k/pseuds/kikokay_k) and [Aly](http://archiveofourown.org/users/tanginaly/pseuds/tanginaly) for being there for me when I didn't know what I was doing! I love y'all!

Keith didn't know what to imagine when Pidge had told him over email that they were going to work in their studio. He'd pictured Pidge's studio would be something slightly bigger than his own make-shift studio, probably the size of a master bedroom with a small desk set-up shoved somewhere in the corner.

He didn't expect an entire basement with floor-to-ceiling soundproofing, a recording booth with various instruments, a control panel complete with a swivel chair, and several large speakers mounted on the walls.

Keith let out a low whistle.

"Nice, huh?" Pidge grinned, appearing beside him. "Took six months to get everything set up, but man was it worth it."

"When you said 'studio', I was thinking it'd be--" Keith paused, shrugging.

"A bedroom?" Pidge offered, stepping further in. "It was my bedroom for the first few videos, but when we people started buying our songs on iTunes and sponsors hit us up... Well, all I had to do was convince my parents and this baby was built."

"Baby?" Keith raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you named this room too."

"Let me guess, Lance introduced you to Blue, didn't he?" They said, plopping unto the big swivel chair. "Did you call Blue an 'it'?"

The expression on Keith's face must have told Pidge something, because they burst out laughing. Keith stood there dumbfounded while Pidge clutched their stomach, Lance and Hunk coming in the room carrying a beatbox. "Lance, please, _please_ tell me you gave Keith the 'Blue Lecture'." Pidge said between laughs. "You couldn't have let him get away with calling Blue an 'it'!"

"Why do you keep calling it a 'lecture'?" Lance air-quoted, almost dropping the beatbox. "It wasn't a 'lecture'. It was a 'reminder'. Blue's a girl and she's very pretty and she should _never_ be called an _it_."

"Yeah, totally doesn't sound like a lecture, Lance." Hunk mumbled from behind him, setting the beatbox down. "Sorry you had to go through that alone, dude. Didn't think Lance would start the Blue Lecture without us."

"It's not a lecture!" Lance huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I can't believe you two are ganging up on me right in front of someone I'm supposed to collab with!"

"Nah, Keith looks like he's pretty chill with it." Hunk gestured to Keith, who was looking at them with a mixture of amusement and confusion. "You're okay with us, right?"

"Yeah, yeah man. I'm fine. I just--" Keith gestured at them. "I just didn't think you'd be so--"

"Loud?" Hunk put in.

"Annoying." Lance rolled his eyes.

"Fun?" Pidge piped up.

"Dramatic." Keith finished, looking at Lance.

"Are you talking about _me_?" Lance gasped, a hand over his heart. "You're kidding."

"Can't say I am." Keith felt his mouth twitch, slinging off his guitar case.

Lance spluttered, Pidge and Hunk laughing at him. "Our first collab together and you're already messing with Lance!" Pidge smiled at him, their eyes sparkling. "Keith, I have a feeling you're gonna fit right in."

* * *

 

It took half an hour just to set everything up, and it made Keith realize exactly how much effort it took for Lance's team to make a video. Pidge had several cameras positioned around the recording booth, each showing their seats at different angles. Hunk had been busy with the wires, hooking them to microphones and checking the sound system. Lance had  pulled out his own guitar, a sleek blue electric one, and they tuned their  guitars together.

"Okay!" Pidge clapped, catching their attention. "Let's have a little warm-up. See if all the equipment works and if we need to tweak anything."

"Gotcha." Lance gave them a thumbs up before turning to Keith. "Excited to know how we sound together?"

Hunk choked, nearly knocking over the beatbox. Lance whipped his head around to look at him, and something passed between them that made Lance blush. "You know I didn't mean it like that!" Lance suddenly shouted, pointing at Hunk. "Damn it, Hunk, stop making me think about it!"

"Think about what?"

They looked at Keith, Lance turning redder and Hunk trying to contain his laughter.

"It's nothing, really. Ignore Hunk."

"But he didn't even say anything?"

Lance hung his head and groaned.

Keith raised an eyebrow.

"Let's... Let's just sing, okay?"

Lance pointedly avoided looking at him, his face still a little red . Keith wanted to ask him something, but then Pidge signaled for them the start playing, and Keith promptly forgot about everything else.

* * *

 

Lance didn't know what came over him, but having Keith in their space and having fun with them made him think they'd been friends all this time. He didn't even think about half the things that came out of his mouth. Casual flirting was a thing with him, and being called out on it never embarrassed him before.

What was so different now?

He snuck a look at Keith and immediately had the answer to his question.

His eyes were half-lidded, fixed on the neck of his guitar as his fingers moved along the frets. His head was bobbing to the beat, his lips quirked into a small smile as it formed words to a song Lance was hardly listening to.

Keith was beautiful.

And Lance...

Well, Lance was in trouble.

"Are you even listening, Lance?" Pidge asked from the talkback, giving him a funny look. "You missed your cue to sing. Are you okay?"

Hunk was looking at him, slightly concerned. Keith too, but he looked more confused than anything.

Shit.

He forgot this was their first collab.

Keith was gonna get so many wrong impressions of him.

Lance groaned.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He raised his arms in surrender. "I was sort of zoning out. Can we start again?"

"Are you sure?" Pidge pressed. "You're not sick or anything, are you?"

"I'm fine, Pidge." Lance offered them a weak smile. "Let's just start again, okay? From the top."

Pidge gave them one last look before shrugging and starting over. Lance avoided Hunk's gaze. One, because it meant looking at Keith's direction, and that's what caused this delay in the first place. Two, because he already knew without looking that Hunk wanted to talk about whatever just happened.

Lance didn't really need this right now.

Keith could see Lance struggling with himself. He couldn't tell what was wrong, but he knew inner struggle when he saw it. Hell, he was feeling it right now. He wasn't used to working with other people, and Lance seemed so overly dramatic earlier that Keith couldn't understand why he was such a nervous wreck now.

There really was only one thing he could think of.

"Hey..." He began softly, startling Lance from his own thoughts. "Do you maybe wanna sing first?"

"What?" Lance head snapped up, striking blue eyes looking right at him.

"You know..." Keith shrugged, looking away. "You seemed kinda distracted. Maybe you should sing first."

"U-Uhm, y-yeah. Sure." Lance's voice almost cracked. "Hey Pidge! We're changing things up a bit. I'll sing first."

Pidge merely gave them a thumbs up, their headphones already on. Lance turned to him, somewhat calmer than before, and flashed him an uneasy smile. Keith only blinked, not sure how to react, but he could feel his own smile forming. With a sort of easy camaraderie settling in between them, Keith began to strum as Lance joined in.

* * *

 

_"The sun goes down, the stars come out..." Lance coos into the microphone, smiling at Keith as the other boy joins him. "And all that counts is here and now..."_

_"My universe will never be the same..." Keith smiles back at him, closing his eyes to the beat. "I'm glad you came."_

_"I'm glad you came."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rojPMESoiAA) was the specific cover used in this fic. Go give it a listen!
> 
> Comments? Rants? Suggestions? Literally any reaction at all? Hit me up here or on my[ Tumblr](http://hetalian-schoolgirl.tumblr.com/) and I'll be sure to get to them! I love hearing from you guys! Till next time!


	5. Merrily We Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to weekly Friday updates until further notice.

It had only been two days since Pidge had finished editing and finally put up the Collab on their channel. Two days of their phone constantly going off to notifications about new comments, all of which they read until they couldn't see straight anymore. Two days of PMs from other Youtube artists, either complimenting them on a good cover or asking if they wanted to work together.

Don't get Pidge wrong. They were immensely proud of the work they did, and even prouder of the fact that it got such an overwhelming response in such a short amount of time.

But, there was just one teensy problem...

"Do you think I scared off Keith? Okay yeah, I basically admitted I call my car Blue and refer to her as a 'she', but like other people do that with their cars too, right? I'm not the only one, right? And I kinda zoned out during practice and missed my cue, but it all worked out in the end. Well, at least I think it worked out. He hasn't been answering any of my PMs to his account. Is he alright? Did you call him? Should _I_ call him? Oh shit, I don't even know his number! Pidge, what's his number?!"

Pidge groaned, letting their head fall unto their desk. The light of their laptop was glaring brightly in the dim bedroom, Skype window open to show an amused Hunk and an equally unamused Lance.

"I don't think you scared him off, buddy." Hunk placated, laptop placed on the kitchen counter beside him. "Keith just seems like a pretty private guy, you know. He's probably just cooling off somewhere."

Lance pouted, his own laptop placed squarely in the middle of his sister's coffee table. "I guess you have a point."

"Hunk always has a point." Pidge piped in, finally sitting up. "Lance, you gotta chill. Believe it or not, Keith seemed more amused than scared during the collab."

A smile ghosted across Lance's face. "You think so?"

"Would I ever lie to you, Lance?"

"In a heartbeat."

"Nice one, Lance."

"Pidge, if you're trying to comfort me, do better."

"Hey, screw you. We're not all 'Pillars of Comfort' like Hunk is."

"True."

Pidge let an easy smile spread across their face as they watched their friends laugh. Even when they were miles apart, spending time in their respective families' homes, it still felt as if they were hanging out in their college dorms having a practice session. Pidge really enjoyed these conversations, even if they would rather be abducted by aliens than admit it out loud.

"Hey, have you guys seen the comments on the video?" Pidge quickly changed the subject, lest they started reminiscing. "It's only been two days and the comments section is already going wild."

"I've been trying to get the video page to open all day!" Lance made a show of looking around, leaning in to whisper. "Between you and me, the WiFi in Ate* Lena's place is shit."

"That explains why you're so blurry." Hunk added, briefly disappearing off the screen.

"Wait up, I'll send you a screenshot of the top comments." Pidge offered, switching tabs. 

* * *

 

...

...

...

...

 

* * *

 

"Can you see it?" Pidge asked, squinting at the screen. "I sent you the top five comments."

"Damn." Lance's eyes widened. "That's a lot of capslock."

Pidge couldn't help but laugh. "You should have seen the other comments!"

"Yeah, dude." Hunk said as he came back on screen. "They were all going off about how you two 'blended perfectly' and that this was 'better than the original'. My favorite thread had to be the one where they made theories about what Keith looked like."

"Oh! Oh! I know the one you're talking about!" Pidge started bouncing on their chair, laughing louder. "My favorite theory was that Keith hid his face because of a scar from childhood. I swear to god, they made him sound like Zuko or something."

"They have a point, though. He does kinda look like Zuko." Hunk agreed, shrugging. "Minus scar, of course."

"And the eyes." Lance pointed out, distant and distracted. "Zuko's eyes are gold. Keith's are violet. They're both intense eyes, though. Really intense. Like all they had to do was look at you and you couldn't breathe anymore."

Pidge paused, eyeing him critically. "Is that why you missed your cue the other day? His eyes?"

"Not really. No." Lance shook his head. "His eyes were half-lidded. I could barely see them."

"Oh..." They drew the syllable out, eyes still on Lance. "So... You were looking at him?"

"It was hard not to." Lance replied, smiling fondly. "He was beautiful."

A bulb lit up brightly in Pidge's head.

Hunk's mouth dropped open.

Lance looked like he finally realized what he just said.

But it was too late.

"I knew it!" Pidge leaped up, knocking their chair to the floor as they pointed at the screen. "I just knew it! You like him!"

"S-S-Shut up, Pidge!" Lance stammered out, leaning back to hide from them. "I-I-It's not like that! I just find him attractive, okay?"

"Nope. Nuh-uh. Not gonna let you get away with that one, Lance." Hunk joined in, getting over his shock. "You said, and I quote, 'He was beautiful!'. Beautiful. Not attractive."

"Is there even a difference?!"

"When it involves Keith, yes."

"I'm with Pidge on this one."

"Gee Hunk, some friend you are."

"I feel so proud." Pidge remained standing, one hand on their hip while the other adjusted their glasses. "When I sent you to pick him up, I didn't mean for you to fall for him."

"Oh fuck off, Pidge. You knew _exactly_ what you were doing." Lance crossed his arms over his chest, pouting. "And for the record, I'm not falling for him."

"Not _yet_."

"Pidge."

"You never know." Pidge shrugged, finally pulling up their chair and sitting back down. "Remember when Matt said he wasn't falling for Rolo?"

Lance rolled his eyes. "That's a different story."

"Yeah, but it's the same plot."

"Second warning, Pidge."

"Okay, okay!" Hunk butted in, arms raised to diffuse the tension. "It doesn't really matter right now, as long as you and Keith are good. You _are_ good, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"You like playing with him, right? No more stupid rivalry and all that?"

"Well, yeah. You _were_ there when we shot the collab, Hunk. You're not blind."

Hunk simply nodded, a knowing smile on his face. "Good, good. That's all I need to know."

"Okay?" Lance shook his head. "Pidge?"

"Fine." They huffed out a breath, leaning their elbows on the desk. "Whatever makes you happy, I guess."

"Aww, Pidge." Lance cooed, hand over his heart. "Is this... Is this a bonding moment?"

"Okay, ewww, no." Pidge shuddered. "The last time we tried to have one of those it ended up with you sobbing grossly into my shoulder and Hunk spilling beer on my Mom's rug."

"Bonding moment cancelled, then." Lance chuckled, flashing them a genuine smile. "So I guess I'll be seeing y'all Monday?"

"Don't forget we're running out of laundry soap." Hunk reminded him, looking over his shoulder. "Oops, gotta go. Had muffins baking in the oven."

"Is that for a video?" Pidge asked, Hunk responding only with a grunt. "Mom's gonna be thrilled. She told me to tell you she loves your baking vids."

"Aww, that's sweet! Tell her I said thanks!" Hunk looked over his shoulder again. "Really gotta go. See you Monday!"

"See ya." Lance and Pidge said in unison.

"Well, I gotta go edit the bloopers and outtakes vid." Pidge told him, pushing their glasses up their nose. "Tell Lena I said 'hi', and _don't_ forget you're helping me with the iTunes set up tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah. I won't forget." Lance waved. "Good luck editing the vid."

Pidge looked him in the eye, and grinned. "Good luck pining for Keith."

* * *

For the first time in a long while, Lance wasn't quick enough to think of a good comeback. He had barely registered Pidge's words before they ended the Skype call, leaving him to stare at the Home Page in utter silence.

"Am I dreaming or did Pidge just one up me?" He said aloud, still blinking at the screen.

"You're awake and Pidge just one upped you." Came the voice of his sister.

Lance's eyes snapped up, narrowing at the look of utter amusement on her face as she leaned on wall, arms crossed over her chest as she watched stared back at Lance.

"How long have you been there?" Lance asked, immediately suspicious.

"Long enough." Maria Elena McClain winked at him, crossing the room in three easy strides and plopping herself beside him. "So, mind telling your Ate Lena here who Keith is?"

Lance answered her question by shoving a throw pillow at her face.

" _Agay!_ Lance!"

"Lena, you listen to me rant all the time, and I saw you watch our latest video! I _know_ you know who Keith is!"

"Okay, you got me. I know who Keith is." Lena replied, grabbing the pillow and throwing it away from Lance's reach. "But, I want to know who he is to _you_."

"I really can't answer that right now." Lance pouted at her, leaning further back on the couch until his head bumped the armrest.

"Can't?" Lena raised an eyebrow at him, then at his dangling feet, before plucking them from the floor and laying them across her thighs. "Or won't?"

Lance frowned at her. "Can't."

"Ah." She nodded, kneading his calves through the fabric of his sweatpants. "Wanna talk about it?"

"There's really nothing to talk about." Lance replied honestly, leaning into her touch. "I met Keith, realized he's a cute guy, and now I think I'm crushing on him. End of story."

"Hmm." Lena hummed. "One moment you're complaining about him and the next you're crushing on him. _Unsa gyud diay siya ka cute para nimo, Lance_?"

"Ate. Please." Lance languished. _"Pwede di?"_

" _Sige, sige._ " Lena chuckled, pushing his legs back on the floor. "Just remember, I'm always here for you. You don't need to pretend in front of me. Got it?"

"Got it." Lance nodded, laughing as Lena reached over to ruffle his hair. "Would you stop that? I'm not a kid."

"You'll always be _Dodong*_ Lance to me." She said as she got up, leaning down to boop his nose. "Come on, there's _[leche flan](http://www.kawalingpinoy.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/lecheflan1.jpg)* _ in the fridge."

Lance watched as she walked away, humming a tune he couldn't quite catch as she disappeared into the kitchen. He could feel himself smiling. It always felt good to be around her, to talk about things he'd keep even from his friends. Don't get him wrong, Pidge and Hunk were great, but they didn't get him the same way Lena did.

She really was his favorite sister.

"Lance, if you don't move your ass in here I'm eating all the _leche flan_!"

He'd never tell her that, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * _Ate_ \- Filipino for "older sister" || Lance is half-Filipino in my AU so he'll be using this a lot.  
>  * _Agay!_ \- Ouch!  
>  * _Unsa diay gyud siya ka cute para nimo, Lance?_ \- How cute really is he for you, Lance?  
>  * _Pwede di?_ \- Can we not?  
>  * _Sige_ \- Okay.  
>  * _Dodong_ \- literally translates to "young man" but in this case is sort of an endearment for "younger brother"
> 
> If you have any questions as to why I specifically chose to make the half-Filipino part of Lance _Bisaya_ , you can ask me on here or on [Tumblr](http://hetalian-schoolgirl.tumblr.com/). My short excuse is that I, myself, am Bisaya. If you want a longer excuse, go ask me privately~
> 
> Please do tell me if you have any problems with the pictures showing up, or not understanding any of the words written, or literally anything you want to tell me about this fic. Your words mean a lot to me and I really do love reading your comments. Thank you for keeping up with SoP, and I'll see you next Friday!


	6. Never Simple, Never Easy

"So I saw your video with Lance the other day..."

Keith nodded absent-mindedly, not really hearing Shiro's words but acknowledging that he had spoken. He had his earbuds on as they worked on Allura's garden shed together; he on the potted plants, and Shiro on the hanging vines. Keith had tried to get away from this, and Allura had completely understood, but Shiro insisted he came over.

"We missed you at dinner last time." Shiro had said, his tone bordering on a guilt trip. "Working on the shed's not hard, Keith. It's fun, even. Consider it a brother bonding activity."

Keith had barely stopped himself from wincing at Shiro's words. He had almost forgotten how much his step-brother knew him. Shiro probably already guessed that he was avoiding them. There was no way he was gonna escape.

In the end, he gave in.

"I didn't know you personally knew Lance." Shiro continued speaking, looking down at Keith from his position on the step ladder. "Why don't you tell me these things, Keith?"

Keith, oblivious, made non-committal noises. He was too preoccupied with the potting soil to notice the way Shiro looked at him, how his eyes dimmed and his mouth turned down.

"Keith." Shiro called out, stepping off the ladder. "Keith, you're not listening."

Shiro stood in front of him, arms crossed, waiting for Keith to look up.

Keith saw his boots and cursed. "Shit, sorry Shiro." He muttered under his breath, taking off his earbuds. "What were you talking about?"

"You really weren't listening, were you?"

"I already said I was sorry."

"Just for today, could you keep your headphones in your pocket?"

"But I--"

"Please?"

Shiro's tone was soft, his eyes almost pleading. Keith wanted to kick himself in the face. "Fine." He said instead, pocketing his earbuds. "You okay with repeating what you said earlier?"

 "As long as I'm sure you're listening to me." Shiro replied, his easy demeanor coming back. "So, why didn't you tell me you knew Lance?"

"I didn't really _know_ Lance." Keith shrugged, resuming his soil-filling duties. "His friend, Pidge Holt, contacted me. Said they wanted a collab. It was good for experience, so I agreed."

"Was that why you couldn't come to dinner?"

 _Not really_.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that." Keith lied. "Should have told you guys earlier."

"You looked like you were having fun." Shiro smiled warmly at him. "Wanna tell me how it went?"

Shiro's smile was infectious, and Keith felt himself smile back. He knew their conversations were awkward at best, and that he still wasn't willing to tell Shiro everything, but being together like this - this "brother bonding activity" - felt good.

Maybe this day wouldn't be so bad.        

* * *

Allura Falra knew she was good at reading people. It all came naturally to her, considering she was raised by two lawyers. All she needed was a glance or a twitch, and she could already find out so much.

Which was why she knew Keith was hiding something.

It was obvious in the way he refused to make eye contact when talking, brought his headphones to avoid conversation, and made excuses to get out of being with them.

Keith was hiding something, alright.

And when she saw him working beside Shiro, waving his arms around as he talked and laughing so hard his shoulders shook, it finally dawned on her.

_Oh._

"Well, you two look like you're having fun."

The moment her words reached Keith's ears, it was like watching a robot shut down. The smile fell from his face, his arms falling to his side, his eyes taking on a hard edge. Allura could tell there was tension building between them, and one glance at Shiro told her that he noticed this too.

"Keith?"

"I'm gonna go get more soil."

Keith nodded at them both, keeping his head down to avoid eye contact. He brushed Allura's shoulder as he passed, and just that little contact made him bristle. There was a heavy tension in the air, and none of them spoke until Keith had rounded the side of the house. A few seconds ticked by before Shiro sighed.

"What am I doing wrong?"

There was a hint of sadness in his voice. Allura turned to him with a smile, hoping to ease some of it away. "It's not your fault, Shiro." She said softly, walking to stand in front of him. "Keith just needs a little time to adjust to me. He made the effort to come over, didn't he? Pretty soon you'll see us gardening together."

Shiro laughed softly. "I know, I know. I'm just worried." He returned her smile, reaching up to cup her cheek. "I just want the two most important people in my life to like get along."

Allura pressed her cheek against his touch. "We will. Eventually. Just don't rush it."

Shiro sighed, leaning in to kiss the top of her head. "Anything you say, Princess."

They both giggled at the silly old nickname. Allura placed both hands on Shiro's broad chest, playfully pushing him away. He just grinned at her, leaning against her hands until their laughter echoed around the empty garden.

Keith watched them from a distance, a new sack of potting soil in his arms. His eyes had lost their edge, and as he watched the happiness radiate between the two lovers, he couldn't help but feel as if he didn't belong.

* * *

Keith didn't tell them he was leaving, just left the sack where he got it and jumped onto his Yamaha Roadstar. He didn't regret his decision until he was speeding through the freeway, the feeling of the harsh wind streaking across his face enough of a distraction to keep it at bay. He'd text them later, tell them there was a sudden emergency or something. They'd understand. They always did. This wasn't the first time Keith ran out on them, after all.

A pang of guilt crept next to the regret in his heart. He sped up his motorcycle, barely keeping within the speed limit, drowning out the thoughts in his head until there was nothing left but him and road.

Maneuvering with instinct rather than actual conscious effort, Keith managed to get to his apartment in one piece. He realized he didn't even bother with a helmet, seeing as he accidentally kicked the damn thing while he swung his legs off the bike. Bending over to pick it up, he could practically hear Shiro's voice chastising him for his recklessness, and he almost slammed the helmet on the sidewalk.

Damn it. He knew something like this would happen when he gave in to Shiro's guilt tripping. He just _knew_ it. He knew the moment Allura came to interrupt them that he didn't have Shiro all to himself anymore, that his step-brother had better things to do than look after Keith, that the only person Keith had ever considered family would someday start one of his own, that Keith would be left alone and lost and hurt and--

His phone buzzed in his pocket.

Keith flinched

There was only one person who would call him now.

Shiro would want to know why he left.

 _Why he ran away_.

Taking a deep breath, Keith grabbed his phone. He pressed "answer" without even looking, and spoke before Shiro could get a word in.

"I'm sorry I left, Shiro. I know you want an explanation, but I really can't do that right now. So would you just--- just leave me alone? _Please_. I'll talk to you when I'm ready, okay?"

Keith held his breath, waiting for Shiro to answer. A few seconds ticked by, Keith growing more anxious as the silence seemed to stretch on forever. Scared he had somehow fucked his relationship with his step-brother even more, Keith was just about to say something, when the person on the other line finally spoke.

" _Who the hell is Shiro?!_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! I'm not sure if I've mentioned this already, but I managed to land myself a job. Together with being busy for the job, I found myself in a rut over the fic and thought I'd give myself a little break. I'm really sorry about that, and I hope you understand. I'm not sure if I can keep a weekly update schedule anymore, but I'll try to get at least one chapter out a month or something. No more promises from me. My schedule's just as erratic as my mind. Sorry.
> 
> Anyways, if y'all have suggestions or rants or anything at all to say, don't be afraid to hit me up. You can check me out on [Tumblr](http://falling-rhayne.tumblr.com/) or on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/silvermistNight). I just love hearing from you guys, so don't be shy 'bout hitting me up. As always, thanks for reading my stuff, and I'll be seeing y'all next update!


	7. Just Take Your Time

Keith simply stared at his phone in shock. That wasn't the voice he expected to hear. He expected to hear a deep baritone, speaking on the border between anger and disappointment. He expected a lecture, a scolding, maybe even a full-on inquisition. He didn't expect a smooth tenor, hiking up a pitch higher than usual, practically screaming into his ear. He hadn't expected the sudden outburst.

He wasn't prepared for this.

"Lance?"

Silence.

"How... How'd you get my number?"

Some shuffling.

" _Lance!"_

"I'm sorry, _okay_?! I got your number from Pidge and thought I'd call to say 'hi' or something. I should've just texted you. You probably weren't expecting me to call. I mean, I'd never said I'd call. You were probably expecting someone else, and oh god, I should probably hang up now. I'm so sorry, I'm gonna --"

"No. Don't."

A pause.

"What?"

Keith sighed, running a hand through his hair. He just stood there, on the sidewalk, leaning against his motorcycle. He held his helmet under one arm, the shiny plastic visor digging into his side somewhat grounding him. Kind of like how hearing Lance sputtering instead of Shiro lecturing calmed him down.

"Hey man, you still there?"

"Yeah."

A frustrated groan.

"Look, if you want me to hang up first, that's cool. I was about to anyway."

"Don't..."

"Don't _what_ , dude? You gotta be more specific here."

Keith took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Don't go."

* * *

 

"O-Okay..."

Lance said the word slowly, dragging the syllables, afraid that if he agreed too fast Keith might think he was embarrassed. Or desperate. Those two words were not something he'd usually associate with himself. He had made himself a pretty good reputation. He was known for being smooth. Suave. A lady-killer. He wasn't just some blushing twenty-three-year-old who had to be talked, by his Ate Lena of all people, into calling the boy he was developing a crush on.

Lance wasn't like that.

He was mature.

He could handle this.

"So... How's... The weather?"

Lance was going to kick himself.

"Warm."

Lance blinked once. Twice.

"What?"

"The weather. It's warm."

"Oh. Okay."

The awkward pause stretched on for what felt like hours, but Lance knew it was barely one minute. He was sure Keith could hear the cogs in his mind turning. But Keith didn't say anything. Didn't even hang up. Just kept breathing, calm and steady, even when Lance was practically panicking, trying to think of words to say to keep the conversation going.

"So, uh..."

"The collab was fun."

Lance was still trying to finish his sentence when Keith interrupted him. It took a while for him to even understand what Keith was talking about.

The collab.

Oh. _Oh._

Lance grinned to himself.

Now they finally had something to talk about.

* * *

Keith didn't know how it happened. One minute he was outside, leaning against his motorcycle and listening to Lance struggle to finish his sentences. The next minute he was throwing himself on his unmade bed, trying not to laugh at yet another failed joke Lance made because, for some reason, the guy just couldn't shut up.

"Hey, fuck you, man! That one was funny!"

Keith sat up, cellphone tucked under his cheek, kicking off his boots.

"I would have laughed if it was."

Lance made such an annoyed noise Keith was sure he was pouting on the other line. In the emptiness of his room, Keith smiled to himself. The smile stayed even as he stuffed his boots under his bed, made his way to his small kitchenette, and made lunch.

"Dude! I'm literally spewing out comedy gold here! SNL's gonna be knocking on my door any minute offering me contracts and shit!"

"Don't forget me when you're famous."

"Aw, Keith, of course I won't. I'll thank you when I get my Oscar."

Keith couldn't help it. The ridiculousness of the statement, along with how utterly serious Lance sounded when he said it, got to him. So, in the middle of making himself a ham sandwich, Keith laughed.

And laughed.

And laughed.

Keith was panting by the time he finished. Even then, little giggles still escaped his lips, and he had to keep himself in check or he'll end up laughing his ass off all over again. He had to take deep breaths, even out his breathing. He'd never laughed this hard before.

"All the jokes I told today, and you laughed at that one?"

Lance's voice broke the spell around him, bringing him back to reality.

A half-made ham sandwich. A small galley kitchenette. An empty studio apartment.

"It wasn't even that funny..."

And the longest conversation he'd ever had with another human being since he started living on his own.

The words were out of his mouth before he could even second-guess himself.

"Thanks, Lance."

* * *

Lance almost dropped his spoonful of _leche flan_.

"K-Keith?"

No response.

"H-Hey, buddy?"

Lance took his phone from his ear, checking to see if Keith hadn't hung up.

He hadn't.

"Thanks, Lance... For... For calling me..."

Lance waited.

Keith didn't say anything else.

"You know, Keith..."

He took a deep breath.

"This may seem like it's coming out of nowhere, but ever since the collab, I've considered you a friend. I mean, we didn't start out at the best of terms, but you seem like a pretty fun guy."

"Are we... Are we having a moment?"

"Quiet and let me finish!"

"But are we having a moment?"

"Yes, we're having a moment, now listen! You're my friend now, Keith. That means you're gonna have to put up with me calling you at random times and telling you the crappiest jokes I can think of--"

"Oh brother--"

"And! And it means... I've got your back. Always."

Lance tapped his fingers on the kitchen counter, wondering if saying so many things - revealing so much - would make Keith uncomfortable. Hell, he'd been making a fool of himself for over thirty minutes - _thirty minutes_ \- on the phone. Keith's probably already pass the point of uncomfortable.

Oh shit.

Oh. Shit.

He probably shouldn't have said so much.

"Uh, Keith, I--"

"I'll remember that."

Lance breathed a sigh of relief.

"Remember what?"

"That you'll have my back. I'll remember that."

Lance chuckled. Soft and quiet. Content.

"Alright. Bonding moment over. I've got lunch to make."

"But _Keith_ , we were having such a beautiful moment."

"I'm gonna hang up, Lance."

" _Keith._ "

"I'll see you next collab."

"Next collab?"

"I'm picking the song next time."

"Wait, what do you mean 'next time'?!"

"See ya."

"Keith!"

The phone went dead.

Lance was left alone in his sister's kitchen, a half-empty plate of _leche flan_ in front of him, and the sound of Keith's laugh echoing through his head. He put his elbows on the counter, cradled his head in his hands, and groaned.

He was _definitely_ crushing on this boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually not dead yet! Thank Season 04 for the sudden burst of inspiration on this fic. Also, I don't think I've mentioned this yet, but I've got a _playlist_ for this. Hit me up on [Tumblr](http://falling-rhayne.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/silvermistNight) if you wanna talk about the playlist. 
> 
> See y'all again next time. ^_^


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